Food sovereignty in the context of the Latino America integration and the Bolivarian Revolution

Alberto Lovera Bolivarian Circle and the General Consulate of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela in New Orleans invited you to see the documentary “Growing Change” and to have a talk about food sovereignty in Venezuela as part of Latin American integration bodies, such as ALBA, CELAC, UNASUR and MERCOSUR.

Come to Learn about the Food Revolution that is taking place within the Bolivarian Revolution through the documentary “Growing Change” by the Australian filmmaker, Simon Cunich, inspired by one of the delegations of the Alberto Lovera Bolivarian Circle of New York!

Thursday, November 15, 2012, 7:00 pm in New Orleans, Louisiana, St. Bernard Community Baptist Church 3938

We meet people in the cities and in the countryside and learn that while Venezuela once had a strong agriculture sector it was left behind, as the country became a major oil exporting economy in the 20th century. After decades of urbanization, government neglect for agriculture, and dependent on food imports, Venezuela faced a food crisis of its own. In may ways the country was a microcosm of the challenges facing much of the world today.

The documentary takes us through a new food system as it’s being constructed almost from scratch. We meet farmers who are gaining access to land for the first time and working in cooperatives to break the country’s reliance on imports.In lush costal villages we meet cocoa producers who are now protected against being paid below the minimum price and are now involved in the local processing of chocolate rather than just exporting raw beans.We head out to sea with fisher folk who are benefiting from new regulations that ban industrial trawling.
In the chaotic metropolis of Caracas we find urban gardens thriving and supplementing diets with fresh organic produce. We go inside shops where the urban poor have access to affordable food.

It’s all part of a countrywide process towards “food sovereignty”, driven by communities and the government. At the core of the process are principles of social justice and sustainability.

It’s an inspirational story full of lively characters, thought provoking insights, stunning scenery and ideas to transform the food system.